Chapter 17 – Cain
I was wrong.
I was so painfully, idiotically wrong.
Because just like everything I’ve assumed about Rhiannon, spending time with her family somehow makes her even more attractive to me.
Gabriel is laughing so hard he can barely manage a sip of his beer as Rhiannon recounts our first time meeting at Bryant Park to him and Eden.
“He said that Vanessa Mayers wasn’t his type! Why would anyone say something so absurd?” she shouts at her sister, her arms spreading wide.
I can tell Eden is much shyer than Rhiannon yet goes along with everything her big sister says eagerly. I can also see the love and respect Eden has for her sister when she looks at her.
Eden gasps and clutches her chest dramatically. “Are you sure he wasn’t lying to you?”
“I wasn’t.” I try to interject but they both ignore me.
Rhiannon then proceeds to tell the story of how her social media page and subsequent court case led to the final moment when we both realized who the other really was which led to our brawl in the middle of the courthouse.
That was the moment where I thought whatever hold Rhiannon had on me had been snapped and I’d stop being wildly attracted to her.
Boy was I fucking wrong again.
I sit back and observe her chattering eagerly and gesturing wildly with her hands. She’s warmth, carefree, light and completely unguarded here, though I suppose even outside of her home, she doesn’t seem to know how to stop being herself.
And I like that about her. Hell, a hopeless romantic might even say that I love it.
She behaves around her siblings how she did the first night we’d met in Bryant Park.
Her inhibitions are low and there’s never a wall up.
I get the sense that out of all the Carpenter siblings, she’s the one to see the silver lining and point it out loudly.
She’s the one to make them laugh when times get tough.
Most people back in the city put on an act to protect themselves from the harshness of the reality around them and to never show weakness. New York City isn’t for the kind-hearted. But I feel like I’m basking in the glow of her here, completely at ease, totally welcoming.
She tosses her dark brown hair over her shoulder, her lips still moving, but she catches me watching her. She smiles at me while she keeps talking, and I don’t look away. Don’t think I could even if I wanted to.
“So yeah, I put a dent in his perfect win record because he lost the case.”
Put a dent in my hand too.
“I can’t believe I followed your social media page and didn’t realize it was you,” Eden groans.
“Sorry, sis. I should have told you, but I simply wanted to provide an alternative perspective on things. I worry about people who have an all or nothing mentality.”
Eden rolls her eyes but hearing this version of her explanation for why she started the page unravels another mystery that I’ve wondered for weeks about. She did it all for her sister and that damn near stirs something strange in me.
Maybe it’s because I’d probably do something crazy like that for Rosie. I have.
Rhiannon reaches across the tabletop and squeezes her sisters’ hand gently as they smile at each other warmly, sharing some sort of silent, sisterly bond.
It’s strange to see this side of her. The motherly and tender side because all I’ve seen are the versions of her that consist of her full tits bouncing up and down as she rides my cock or her cutting me with her sharp tongue and tossing a vase at me and slicing open my hand.
And all this does is remind me that she’s different. She’s so fucking different from any other woman I’ve ever met.
“So, the court case is the third time you two ran into each other, what was the second time?” Gabriel asks.
Rhiannon smiles sweetly at me. “Why don’t you tell them, Cain.”
“I’m an entertainment lawyer and I happened to be on set for a music video that Rhiannon was modeling in. She was riding a horse and didn’t know what the hell she was doing. I came over to help her off it and recognized her.”
And then I brought her back to the hotel where I was staying and fucked her on every surface before she disappeared again.
“You got to ride a horse?” Eden asks, her eyes widening.
Rhiannon nods with a smile. “It was pretty cool but I’m not sure I’ll do it again.”
“Entertainment lawyer, huh?” Gabriel asks as he takes a sip of his beer and raises a brow. “Bet you spend a lot of your time with models and celebrities.”
I know what he wants to know. He can tell I’m interested in his sister.
Anyone with eyes would know that we didn’t just casually meet on set a few times and at the courthouse.
I’m not hiding my feelings for her or the way that I can’t look away.
But based on her own omission, she doesn’t have time to date which means I doubt she brings men over for dinner.
And ultimately, there isn’t anything happening between us except an insane amount of attraction. Insane because I don’t behave like this, and everything about her screams danger and highly uninterested in anything more with me.
“I do.”
“Cain dated Madison from Live Like an Influencer,” Rhiannon offers unhelpfully.
Eden gasps. “Um, what?”
I shake my head at her. “Please don’t start that rumor. I did not date Madison.”
She smirks before taking another sip of her wine. “You’re right. They didn’t date.”
Of course that’s exactly what her brother wants to hear.
“Who’s the coolest famous person you’ve ever met?” Eden asks.
I think for a moment. “Probably Tom Hardy.”
Eden’s mouth drops open in shock. “No freaking way. He’s so hot.”
Gabriel rolls his eyes and stands as Rhiannon laughs. “That he is.”
“You want another beer, big shot?” her brother asks as he heads to the fridge and retrieves another bottle.
“Probably shouldn’t. I have a long drive back to the city.”
“Well, it was nice to meet you. Will we be seeing more of you around?”
I tug at the back of my neck, having no idea how to answer that question without talking to his sister first. It’s not that I don’t want to see them again, I like the Carpenter’s more than I thought I would, it’s that his sister’s been pretty fucking clear where I stand.
Which is nowhere. Rhiannon doesn’t meet my eye but Eden’s practically bouncing out of her seat.
“Not sure about that.”
He nods and turns his attention to Rhiannon. “I can do the dishes after I shower, sis.”
She shakes her head. “It’s fine. I’m sure Cain won’t mind helping me clean up.”
“I’d love to,” I respond with a smile while Eden darts away from the table to go work on her schoolwork upstairs.
Rhiannon and I gather up the dishes, setting them on the counter while she begins rinsing off the casserole she made, handing each dish to me to dry.
I notice the way my boxers are still fitted on her hips, the inches of soft, sun-kissed skin that’s exposed, and the way it felt under my fingertips to squeeze her there.
Has it really been that long since I’ve touched her?
Her brown hair is pulled up in a messy bun, exposing the smooth curve of her neck as she works, and she’s biting her bottom lip gently, as if lost in deep thought. Even the tiny little diamond nose ring she’s always worn looks adorable to me in this domestic setting.
“Your siblings are fun,” I say breaking the silence.
She laughs. “Gabriel was much easier on you than any other guy who’s ever come for dinner.”
“Why do you think that is?”
She shrugs. “He probably doesn’t see you as a serious threat to my happiness.”
What the hell does that mean?
I hate being written off without ever getting a chance. “Because I’m not your type?”
She stops rinsing and sets down the dish before shifting her focus to me and leaning a hip against the countertop. “Weren’t you the one who said you didn’t have a type?”
“Yeah, because having a type means you’re considering more than one option.”
Her lips part slightly as she takes in my extreme honestly.
I’m not usually this transparent, saying exactly what’s on my mind, I’d rather keep some mystery, not show my cards all at once.
But I’m starting to wonder why I’ve been holding back.
I’m into her. She’s into me. We should give this thing a shot.
“Yeah, I don’t think it has anything to do with types. I think he just reads people well and can tell that you’d never be interested in me in a serious manner. And to be fair, I wouldn’t be interested in anything with you either.”
Ah, there it is.
I can’t fault him. He would have been right about that version of me from the past. I wasn’t interested in anything more. One-night stands were the most I could give. But Rhiannon’s different. She’s got something else… Something I can’t quite put my finger on.
What the hell is it?
It’s that she has substance. It’s that she pulls me out of the mundane and begs me to have fun. To relax. She radiates joie de vivre.
She hands me another dish to dry. “What does your brother do for work?”
“He works in construction in New York City. Builds all those ugly skyscrapers that block out the sun and keep people depressed. He also refurbishes furniture that Eden and I find. Once it’s refurbished and fixed up, we sell it in our family thrift store in Brookhaven. It’s just two miles down the road.”
“You mentioned that you manage the store’s website?”
She nods. “Eden’s in school for design right now.
She wants to get into furniture designing so she’ll find random pieces abandoned on the streets in New York when she commutes for school and then bring them home with her on the train.
Her and Gabriel work together to restore them and then we sell them in the shop. ”
“That’s… resourceful.” And pretty fucking cool.
She smiles. “We all work together to do what we can to keep the doors open on the business and pay our bills.”
“And your parents?”
A sad look crosses her face, and I immediately regret asking.